Hammers are one of the most fundamental tools in any toolbox, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out with DIY projects. They come in various shapes and sizes, each designed for specific tasks. From driving nails to breaking rocks, hammers are indispensable for a wide range of jobs. In this blog post, we’ll explore the different types of hammers that are commonly used, including claw hammers, ball peen hammers, sledgehammers, and many others. We’ll look at their unique features and discuss what each type is best suited for. This guide will help you understand the right hammer to choose for your specific needs, ensuring you’re well-equipped for your next project.
How To Use A Hammer?
Using a hammer effectively involves picking the right one, staying safe, and using the proper technique. First, choose the hammer that fits your task. A claw hammer works well for driving nails into wood, a ball peen hammer is best for metalwork, and a sledgehammer handles heavy tasks like breaking concrete. Safety matters, so always wear safety glasses and gloves.
Grip the hammer firmly at the end of the handle for better swing power and control. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart to stay stable. Line up the hammer’s head with the nail or surface you want to hit. Swing the hammer from above your shoulder in a controlled motion, letting the hammer’s weight do most of the work. Try to strike squarely with the hammer’s face. For more accuracy, start with light taps to set the nail in place, then hit harder as needed.
After using the hammer, check it for wear or damage, and store it in a dry place to avoid rust. Regularly inspect the handle for splinters or cracks, and make sure the head is firmly attached. With time, using a hammer becomes second nature, helping you work more efficiently and safely.
Parts Of A Hammer
- Head: The part that hits when you hammer. Usually metal, but can also be glass, wood, or rubber. The head’s size, shape, and weight vary based on the hammer type.
- Face: The front part that contacts the object. The shape and size can differ. Some hammers have a textured face to create unique finishes on metal or wood.
- Handle: The part you hold. Most handles are wood, but some are metal or plastic.
- Neck: Connects the head to the handle.
- Peen/Claw: Opposite the face. The claw pulls nails, and the peen works on metals. Choose based on your needs.
- Grip: Rubber grips help prevent slipping on metal handles. Wood handles usually don’t need grips.
Types Of Hammers
Following is a list of different types of Hammers. The first six hammers in the list are most popular, while the remaining hammers are specialty, niche or purpose-built hammers.
Let us now take a brief look at all these hammers one-by-one.
1. Claw Hammer
A claw hammer is perhaps the most popular hammer among home users, DIYers, wood workers (carpentry and furniture) and metal workers. You can drive nails with the face and remove the nails using the claw. A claw hammer is usually made up of a metal head and a wooden handle.
2. Framing Hammer
Even though it looks very similar to a claw hammer, the framing hammer is a specialized tool used for wood framing. It is a must have tool for carpenters and woodworkers who often drive nails into frames walls of houses. It is slightly longer and heavier than a typical claw hammer and also has a fairly straight claw. As a result, it is not the best option for removing nails.
3. Ball Peen Hammer
Also known as the machinist’s hammer, a Ball Peen Hammer has flat face on one side of the head and a ball shaped face on the other side. Metal workers often use the round part of a ball peen hammer to shape metal without denting it.
4. Tack Hammer
The tack hammer is also known as Upholstery Hammer as we use it to drive small nails and brads into fabric or leather. It is a precision tool with a slim profile and is light in weight. Some tack hammers have a magnetic head to easily handle nails and tacks.
5. Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a heavy-duty hammer that is often used for demolition work to break down walls and other masonry. It has a large metal head with face on both sides and a long handle to easily swing it.
6. Mallet
A mallet has a large rubber (sometimes wood but very niche) head with a relatively small handle. We use mallets to knock or tap on objects with soft blows without damaging or denting. You can use a mallet to knock on woods to join them or on a chisel while carving.
7. Cross Peen Hammer
One side of a cross peen hammer is a regular flat head but the other side is wedge shaped peen. If you are worried about hitting your fingers while peening a panel, then the cross-peen hammer is very useful due to wedged sides.
8. Straight Peen Hammer
It is very similar to the cross-peen hammer. But the main difference is that the wedge peen is aligned horizontally in a cross-peen hammer whereas it is aligned vertically in a straight peen hammer.
9. Cross Peen Pin Hammer
While a cross peen hammer is a specialty tool, the cross-peen pin hammer has a more specific use case. It is a slightly smaller version of cross peen hammer but it is not suitable for working on metals. We often use Cross Peen Pin Hammer to work with cabinets, furniture and other light wood working jobs.
10. Club Hammer
A club hammer is a miniature version of a sledgehammer in the sense that it has a small handle and a relatively small head (the head is still large when we compare it to other hammers). It isn’t practical to use a club hammer for hard demolition jobs but we can use it for light demolition works, or to break stones and masonry. We also use club hammers to drive chisels and masonry heads where precision is not important.
11. Dead Blow Hammer
Even though it is similar to a Mallet, a Dead Blow Hammer is very rarely used tool. Woodworkers and automotive garages use this hammer to give soft blows with very less recoil. It is often made with soft rubber or plastic as not to damage or form dents in the surrounding parts.
12. Blocking Hammer
Blacksmiths frequently use Blocking Hammers to work on detailing of metal. It has two faces, one with a flat and square head while the other is a cylindrical head. The handle is just a regular wooden handle.
13. Engineering Hammer
The Engineering Hammer or Engineer’s Hammer is primarily used in locomotive and automotive repairs. Majority of engineering hammers have a heavy double round-faced head but some also have a round head and a cross peen.
14. Electrician’s Hammer
An Electrician’s Hammer is very similar to a claw hammer but the main difference is its long neck. This longer than normal neck will help electricians reach difficult places such as access holes of distribution boxes.
15. Blacksmith’s Hammer
This a specialty tool often used by blacksmiths. One side of the head is rounded while the other side is tapered. Using this tool, blacksmiths can easily shape, bend or cut hot metals.
16. Blacksmith’s Sledge Hammer
It is very similar to a regular sledgehammer with the exception that blacksmiths use this hammer to work on heavy metals such as iron to create large impact force and shape the metal.
17. Welder’s Hammer
A Welder’s Hammer is also known as a Chipping Hammer as welders primarily use it to chip or remove the waste or slag around a welding point. It is a niche tool and is not for everyone.
18. Body Mechanic’s Hammer
A Body Mechanic’s Hammer has a unique shape with a round and flat head on one side and a pointed peen on the other side. Its primary use case is in automobile body workshops for removing dents and other car repairs.
19. Tinner’s Hammer
This hammer has a square and flat head on one side and pointed cross peen on the other. Metal workers often use Tinner’s Hammer while metal roofing as they can easily roll the edges of metal and also work on the seams.
20. Toolmaker’s Hammer
At first glance, this tool doesn’t look like a hammer but is a special purpose hammer with a small flat head on one side and a rounded head on the other. There is also magnifying glass in the center of the hammer.
21. Rock Hammer
Despite its name, a Rock Hammer is not intended to smash rocks but to break small rocks very carefully. Geologists, archaeologists and historians use these hammers for excavation, creating holes and removing vegetation. As a result, the Rock Hammer is also sometimes known as a Geologist’s Hammer.
22. Rock Climbing Hammer
These hammers are very important for rock climbing as it allows rock climbers to easily place pickets, anchors and also remove them. One end of the hammer has a pointed head that helps to loosen anchor’s bolts while the square flat head helps in hammering anchor bolts.
23. Piton Hammer
A Piton Hammer is also a rock-climbing hammer. It has a hole in its beak to remove any pits. Some Piton Hammers have detachable heads so that you can replace them with another head depending on the use case.
24. Brass Hammer
The Brass Hammer comes with a double circular head that has a slightly larger impact area. We use this hammer for driving steel pins without affecting the surrounding areas. Woodworking and automotive workshops often have this tool.
25. Rip Hammer
If you want to heavy-duty claw hammer, then a Rip Hammer is the one for you. But unlike a regular claw hammer, its claw isn’t curved but a straight one. This helps in demolition jobs to rip materials. Construction and demolition workers have this hammer in their collection.
26. Bushing Hammer
A Bush Hammer or Bushing Hammer is used by masonry workers to create textures on concrete. The face of the head is not flat but has pyramid like structures to create decorative patterns on stone or concrete.
27. Half Hatchet Hammer
This is also very similar to the Hatchet Hammer with the axe blade being the dominating tool.
28. Drywall Hammer
While a Drywall Hammer looks similar to a Hatchet Hammer, it is not ax axe. Using the hammer head, we can drive nail into the drywall. The axe like part isn’t actually a sharp axe but is used to chop of any extra drywall. Using the notch in the blade, you can hold the hammer without causing any damage to the drywall.
29. Brick Hammer
You can shape or split bricks, concrete or stones using a Brick Hammer. One side of the head has a flat square face and the other side has a sharp chisel peen. Masons and bricklayers use these hammers in construction jobs.
30. Lath Hammer
A Lath Hammer is often used while working with paster walls. You can easily work with the flat strips of wood that are the basis of the foundation. The metal head has a square flat head to drive nails, an axe like head to chop the wood. The handle usually comes with a rubber grip to absorb the impact.
31. Stone Sledge Hammer
While the main purpose of a regular sledgehammer is demolition, a stone sledge hammer specialty tool that is designed to work with stones. You can easily break large stone or concrete into small pieces. One side of the head has a flat (square or circular) face and the other side has a soft vertical peen.
32. Copper And Hide Hammer
This particular hammer is not that famous but is used to shaping metals. The head has a combination of copper and raw leather and it allows working on delicate metal parts such as car body without damaging other parts.
33. Trim Hammer
The Trim Hammer is another claw hammer with a relatively straight and short claw. This hammer is popular in the woodworking, especially carpentry, where you can easily drive trim nails with its smooth face without affecting the surrounding areas. A trim hammer is sometimes known as a finish hammer.
34. Chasing Hammer
A Chasing Hammer has a flat circular head on one side and a smooth rounded head on the other. This tool is quite popular in the jewelry making business.
35. Splitting Maul Hammer
It is a cross between an axe and a sledgehammer. One side of the head has a sharp axe blade to split wood and the other side has a heavy-duty sledgehammer using which we can hammer wood or drive nails very deep.
36. Soft Face Hammer
When we talk about hammers, we usually think of metals heads for hard impacts. But a soft face hammer is usually made from soft materials such as rubber, plastic, brass, copper, nylon, lead or cast iron. These hammers are used when working with delicate metals.
37. Railroad Spike Maul Hammer
This is a precision tool that, as the name suggests, used in railroads. Using this hammer, we can hammer railroad spikes onto tracks. The head is very thin when compared to other hammers but the long handle helps in applying a powerful impact.
38. Dental Hammer
Hammers and Chisels are used in dentistry from a long time. A Dental Hammer, sometimes known as Dental Mallet, is a small cylindrical steel block as a single piece with two rubber or plastic ends on the either faces. The handle is also made up of steel with an easy grip. Dentists use these hammers to condense the material that fills ups a cavity.
39. Gavel Hammer
A Gavel Hammer is used by judges and auctioneers to control the crowd or make a statement. They are usually made up of hardwood and hence they are a type of mallet.
40. Jackhammer
This is primarily used in demolition jobs to break rocks, concrete, pavement and other hard surfaces. A Jackhammer combines a chisel and a hammer and usually runs on compressed air. Small jackhammers are handheld but there are large hydraulic tools that are mounted to an excavator (or other similar large vehicles).
Tips For Choosing The Right Hammer
When choosing the right hammer, keep these tips in mind:
- Identify The Task: Know the specific job—like driving nails, shaping metal, or demolition. Different tasks need different hammers.
- Consider The Weight: Heavier hammers hit harder, good for tough jobs. Lighter hammers offer control, better for delicate work.
- Handle Material: Wood handles absorb shock well. Fiberglass handles are durable and resist shock. Steel handles are strong but may transmit more shock.
- Grip Comfort: The grip should be comfortable and secure. A non-slip grip, often rubber or textured, reduces hand fatigue and improves control.
- Balance And Swing: Hold the hammer near the end of the handle. It should feel balanced and natural, reducing wrist strain and improving accuracy.
- Head Type And Shape: Choose the right head. Flat heads are for driving nails; rounded or peened heads are for shaping metal.
- Durability And Quality: Pick a hammer made of high-quality materials. It should last long and stay effective.
- Safety Features: Look for safety features like shock-absorbing handles or anti-vibration designs to prevent injuries during long use.
FAQs:
Small hammers are commonly referred to as tack hammers or jeweler’s hammers, designed for precise work in carpentry or metalwork. They are also known as hobby hammers.
Hammers are classified based on their purpose, construction, and head shape. Types include claw, ball-peen, sledge, mallet, and framing hammers, each tailored for specific tasks and materials.
A long-handled hammer is often referred to as a sledgehammer. It’s designed for heavy-duty tasks, allowing for greater leverage and force with its extended handle.
A workshop hammer is commonly called a claw hammer, which is used for driving nails into, or pulling them from, another object. Other types include sledgehammers and mallets.
A hammer with an axe is commonly known as a hammer-axe or axe-hammer. It combines features of both tools, suitable for both chopping and hammering tasks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, picking the right hammer depends on knowing its specific use. Claw hammers are great for carpentry, while sledgehammers work best for heavy demolition. Each hammer type has unique benefits. Choosing the right one improves efficiency and safety, lowering the risk of damage to both materials and users. Understanding the different hammers can greatly enhance your projects. With the right hammer, tasks become easier and more precise.
